Sena
by sketch83
Summary: Thirteen year old Sena finds herself compelled into an arranged marriage in a magicless foreign country to seal a peace treaty. But all is not as simple as it seems as she discovers it may not be the only reason she is there.
1. The Visitor

I guess it's sort of a tradition to do disclaimers here, so here it is. This story is mine. I know there are quite a few stories about arranged marriages out there but this plot and all the characters are mine. Hope you enjoy! -------------------------------------------------------- 

She had always been a bit wild, people said it was the fairy blood coming out in her. Back then people still believed in fairies and that the most prosperous and beautiful were descended from the strange race. Sena was not particularly beautiful – not yet at least. Many would call her pretty, but not beautiful. A late-bloomer Sena stayed small and round while most girls her age were growing tall and slim. To look at her then one would see red hair just a bit too orange and frizzy and green eyes just a shade too gray to make them outstanding. She was not chubby, but the baby-fat still clung to her cheeks, arms, and legs. There was in fact little that was outstanding about her physically, which was why it was hard to explain why once you had met her she was hard to forget.

She stood uncomfortably next to her tall, elegant father as he spoke to the equally tall, and elegant man across the room. Her father had fair skin like hers that seemed all the whiter next to the olive complexion of the dark haired man.

Sena did not fidget. Hours and hours with her manners mistress and trained her not too, no matter how her shoes might squeeze and her socks itch. At home, when not with her tutors she was accustomed to walking bare-footed wherever she went. A habit that those who knew her intimately found annoyingly endearing.

Outside the sun was shining brightly and Sena could see the gardens and beyond them the stretch of firs and pines that surrounded her home. She knew the gardens would be almost unbearably hot in the next hour or so and that the forest would remain damp and cool for most of the day. She had hoped to get to the gardens early this morning as she expected one of her new rose varieties to be blooming. But the arrival of this foreign gentleman had kept her indoors while her mother and the maids hurriedly bathed, dressed, and primped her to perfection. The gentleman!

Sena snapped her attention back to the man and desperately tried to pick up the thread of conversation. Her manners mistress would have a fit if she knew she'd been letting her attention wander. Luckily both men still seemed to be discussing the traveling conditions between Lynoth and Perdia. Once again Sena wondered at her presence here. Rarely, if ever, was Sena called into the presence of visiting dignitaries except for formal introductions and supper, and never without her mother and younger sister. But here she stood, alone, next to her father, and as if sensing her confusion they suddenly stopped their conversation and very deliberately her father brought her forward.

"May I present my daughter Sena?" Sena curtsied prettily, dipping her head and then bringing it up to gaze into the gentleman's eyes. It was bad manners for children to look into strangers eyes without being formally introduced so only then did Sena realize that the dark man had startling blue eyes. The contrast was quite surprising. Only the most blond and fair had blue eyes in her country.

The stranger gazed at her quite seriously before giving her a dignified bow and saying "We are well met, Sena Amalantha. My name is Varden Greystone and I've come all the way from Lynoth to meet you."

Sena did not gape, but she wanted to. Lynoth was their neighboring country with whom they had shared an uneasy alliance since the last Great War ended twenty years ago. The war was "officially" over, but really the fighting had never stopped, and the two kings had refused to acknowledge one another. But as they two young hot-headed kings had turned into older men it seemed their hearts had softened towards one another and the last 2 years had brought a season of tentative and periodic peace as the kings met to arrange a formal alliance. Sena's father, as the cousin and first-of-kin to the king had been a part of those meetings, making the long journeys to the capitol as well as to Lynoth. He'd only recently returned.

Sena's home was a long way from either and in her lifetime she had only made the journey to the capitol once where they had stayed for nearly a year. It had been a period of agony for Sena who had longed for the open spaces and freedom of her home. It had taken them 3 weeks of hard traveling to make it to the capitol and it was, Sena knew, another month of treacherous and grueling travel to make it to the border between Perdia and Lynoth. From there, Sena had no clue how long it may take to get to wherever Varden Greystone was from.

After a moment of silence Sena seemed to find her voice. "You are a long way from home." Varden Greystone smiled sadly at this, and she could not know then that the sadness in his smile was not for himself.

"Yes, I am a very, very long way from home. It feels an age since I was last there."

Sena, who had always been spoken to as a child by her father's visitors was very surprised by his attitude, and she felt herself grow bolder then she normally would allow in the presence of her elders.

"You must miss it much. Do you have family there waiting for you?" The man smiled sadly again at this.

"I do indeed. Two daughters, the youngest of the two may share your birthyear, and a son . . ." at which point he glanced quickly at Sena's father, "he is my oldest child."

"I can understand missing family. My older sister, Melba, was married a year ago and I miss her very much; even though she teased me." Sena made a face at that and Varden Greystone laughed softly.

"I suppose sisters are pretty much the same in Lynoth, because I cannot get my Earlene to stop pestering my little May. Those two can squawk louder than all the birds of Lynoth. I'm sure your younger sister understands about teasing, hmmm?"

"Oh no! I do not tease Wren. Do I Papa, I mean Father?"

Eldon Amalantha smiled gently down at Sena. "No, Sena sweet you do not. Sena is too tender-hearted to tease Wren, although she could always give Melba a run for her money. Sena, sweet, you may run off now, I'm sure your gardens are waiting for you." Sena just stopped herself from dashing away before her father changed his mind and gave a dutiful curtsy to Varden Greystone.

"I hope you are able to return home soon. I'm sure your family misses you." Varden bowed back.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Sena." With that Sena walked quickly out of the room, and as soon as the door was closed behind her dashed to the nearest exit into the gardens, quickly forgetting her strange visit with the foreigner.

Sena already had her shoes and stockings off when she came to her newest rose bush. As she had hoped it had indeed bloomed, a bright yellow with golden tips and fringes. Not just gold in color, but real gold. It smelled sweeter than peaches, and was so fragrant Sena could nearly taste it. If the petals were crushed and mixed with a paste Sena was quite certain they would heal minor wounds completely. Sena was pleased with her work. She could not wait to show Wren.

Magic was as common to a child in Perdia as air. Children in Perdia grew up learning not to speak a word three times in succession – for strange things often happened. Birds occasionally spoke and delighted children with their tales, and sometimes the rain sang. The magic in Perdia was old and at one time had filled the entire continent, but it was now limited to Perdia alone. The country was protected along the east and the south by dark, jagged mountains, and by the untamed sea on the north and west. The land itself was wild and filled was unspeakable things; creatures, and dark things with no names to put to them, as well as with spectacular things; unicorns, and sprites, and fairies.

Although, even in Perdia the magic was beginning to fade. In the capitol people had almost forgotten the old ways, the magic too weak there to remind them, and the closer one got to Lynoth the weaker it became. Once in the mountains the magic became powerful once again, a ward, some called it, to protect itself. But once out of the mountains and into Lynoth it disappeared completely.

The farther one came from Lynoth and the capitol the stronger the magic was, and it was here, at the edge of the great forest where Sena and her family lived. Here the magic was strong and deep. At night Sena could feel its heartbeat, slow and steady. She tried to explain it to her family but the only one who seemed to understand her was Wren. Wren could not do magic though. Very few could those days, even this far into the wilds. Sena had met only one other person who, like her, was capable of magic, and that was at the capitol. A withered old man who had seemed like a breath of fresh air to Sena who was nearly dying for some magic among the paved narrow streets, and endless walls. He seemed to carry the magic with him and when Sena had asked him how he did it he had looked at her oddly before smiling at her pityingly and saying,

"It's hard isn't it? It feels as if there is no air, like you cannot quite catch your breath. It feels like you're missing the very core of your being."

His words brought tears to Sena's eyes, and she nodded before whispering, "Nights are the worst . . ."

"Oh?"

"I . . . I can't feel its heart." He said nothing for a moment, but regarded her seriously. When he did not speak Sena nearly pleaded, "Won't you please tell me how you carry it with you?"

"You're Sena Amalantha, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Sena," he crouched down so his eyes were level with hers, "I cannot tell you how, for we all carry it in our own way." Sena looked confused at this. "Child, it's more like the magic chooses us. Someday you'll understand what I mean. But be content. You can hear it, even here, you just need to learn how to listen. No, I cannot tell you how. You must learn for yourself. It is important that you learn for yourself." With that he straightened and strode briskly away before Sena realized she didn't even know who he was.

In the garden three of the new roses had bloomed and many more would bloom in the days to come, so Sena felt no guilt as she clipped one that would bloom soon and ran it up to Wren's room.

Back in the hall Varden Greystone and Eldon Amalantha had watched Sena out in the garden. Eldon half hoped that his daughter's behavior would disgust the visitor, but Varden only watched with interest until Sena ran back into the house with a yellow rose, hair flying behind her, her shoes and stockings forgotten next to the bush.

"She's very young." Varden finally said.

"Yes, she is. Only barely into her fourteenth year, she turned thirteen last week."

"It will be hard for her to leave."

"You don't object to her youth?"

"She'll grow."

"I wonder if your son will feel the same."

"It's not his choice."

"No, it's not any of our choice." Silence stretched out between them for several long moments, before Eldon finally asked, "Do we prepare to leave now then?"

"No! No, no." Varden peered down into the garden below. "Give her this year here. There's no need to drag her from her home yet. It does not need to be done until the official treaty is signed next fall. Give her this year, I'll come fetch you both at the beginning of next summer."

Eldon merely nodded, Varden continued to stare at the gardens.

"It's strange, how such a young child can be so striking." he finally said. Eldon sighed,

"It's the magic. She can do magic." Varden finally looked up from his study of the gardens.

"There's no such thing as magic," he said coldly.


	2. News

Wren loved the new rose, she loved everything Sena did. She wished she were strong enough to romp through the forest on one of Sena's adventures, but Wren was born a frail and sickly babe and had never grown strong. Her legs could never hold her up for more than a few minutes before completely giving out on her, and the effort of the sustained standing would leave her exhausted for days. Still, she was a happy child with a keen eye and bright intellect and extremely sensitive to others. Sena felt that this was Wren's magic, for Wren often knew before Sena showed up what kind of mood Sena was in. Wren smiled happily when Sena suggested she had some magic but denied it nonetheless.

"It's being crippled, my other functions make up for it." Wren would say. Sena always frowned at this and would often exclaim,

"You are not a cripple Wren! Really! I wish you wouldn't talk so."

Despite their physical differences the two sisters were completely devoted to each other. Not a day went by when Sena didn't come report in detail her day's activities for Wren to smile over. Wren was a devout reader and would share what she had studied that day and between the two they managed to cover a great many subjects.

After Wren had fussed sufficiently over the rose she pinned Sena with one of her piercing stares.

"You haven't said anything about your visit with father and his friend."

"Oh! Wren! I completely forgot! The man was from Lynoth, he had the bluest eyes I've ever seen and he was so dark. Dark hair and tan skin, not at all fair like father's. But Wren, you should have heard how he spoke to me, as if I were an adult, not all baby talk like most of Papa's visitors." Despite being younger than Sena, Wren was more adept at the subtle art of conversation and when this last bit came out it caused her to pause.

"What did you talk about Sena?"

"Oh, I asked about his home and his family, rather silly, fluffy stuff actually. Nothing of consequence."

"Well, tell me about his family."

"I don't really remember . . . oh yes, he has two daughters and he thought it was funny when I told him that I missed Melba, even though she teased me because his two daughters do the same thing. He also has a son who is the oldest. That was all really, nothing else. He said he missed them and that it felt like forever since he'd been home."

"What was his name?"

"Varden Greystone, isn't that a strange family name? So austere. There's no magic in it at all," and with that Sena was back on the subject of magic, talking so rapidly she did not notice that Wren didn't seem to be paying attention. Shortly after Sena decided to run out to the gardens to check on her roses once again and left in a flurry of flying hair and bare feet.

Wren sat quietly by her seat near the window, she could see Sena exploding into the gardens with all of her fierce energy, it was as if the house could not contain it all. Wren did not want to give her thoughts any credence, but they would not go away. Sena had room in her mind for very little besides magic, it completely engulfed her. If it were not for her family she would have forgotten she was human and needed to eat, sleep, and drink. Wren on the other hand thought about a great many things, she took time to analyze, and question, and at this moment she wished she could be as single-minded as Sena, for what would she do without her?

* * *

The summer passed quickly, too quickly for most members of the Amalanth household, while Sena remained blissfully unaware that her life was soon to change drastically. As fall came and began to touch the leaves with bright colors, and the breeze began to have a distinct chill Eldon Amalanth and his wife Ladonna found that they could no longer bear withholding the news from their daughter. Ladonna had at first refused when the idea was presented. Even when the king prodded through letters and ambassadors she refused, but finally, at the pleading of her husband she relented, although it broke her heart to do so. Ladonna understood her daughter well, better than most would guess, and it filled her soul with grief to think of tearing Sena away from the magic of Perdia.

It was not until mid fall that Eldon and Ladonna called Sena into their private chambers. Sena came warily, wondering what she had done wrong, for the only times she was called into her parents private chambers was when she was in trouble. She tentatively knocked on her parents sitting room door and then cracked it open and peeked her head in. Her parents stood by the fire place and both looked at her with great sadness in their eyes.

"Papa? Momma?" Sena stepped quickly in the room, her heart hammering as she had no clue what she could have done to cause such grief in her parents.

"Sena, love, please come sit by me." Ladonna sat down in the love seat next to the fire and patted the spot next to her. Sena eyed it warily.

"Am I in trouble?" she finally asked. Her parents managed to laugh softly.

"No dear, you're not in trouble, please come sit by me" Ladonna repeated. Sena smiled, relieved and plodded over to her mother, snuggling into her warmth. Her mother gathered her small child to her, closed her eyes as she felt the gentle humming of Sena's magic and then nodded to her husband.

"Sena, you know that Perdia and Lynoth have decided to sign a treaty for peace, right? That's what I was doing much of last year in the capitol, sitting in on negotiations." Eldon paced around the room as he spoke. Sena watched her father, still unsure of why she was here.

"It's a good thing, right Papa? No more fighting?"

"Yes, Sena, it's a very good thing." Eldon sighed. "Sena, do you remember the man who came to see you, the one from Lynoth?" Sena nodded gravely. "Well he sat in on those negotiations as well. He's kind of the same thing I am to his king."

"He's the cousin of the king of Lynoth?" asked Sena.

"No, I said 'kind of.' Like me he is one of his kings most trusted advisors."

"Oh." Sena pretended to understand why this was important.

"Well, Sena, dear, both of the kings want a marriage to seal the treaty. They feel it will further unite the countries . . ."

Sena began to have a gnawing feeling in her stomach, and her throat began to clench, she did not like where this was heading. She leaned in closer to her mother, as if she could hide. It was quiet for several moments that stretched like an eternity.

"Papa?" Sena squeaked.

Eldon took three long strides over to his daughter and knelt in front of her, taking her hand. "My sweet Sena, I'm so sorry, but you must marry Varden Greystone's son. I . . ." he stopped at the look of shock that passed over his daughter's face. Ladonna squeezed her daughter tightly and couldn't help the silent tears that slid down her cheeks.

"But Papa, I'm only twelve, I'm too young, I, I . . . I DON'T WANT TO GET MARRIED!" Sena began to shout before hysterical sobs began to wrack her body.

"Sena? Sena. Sena! Please listen, if this wasn't for an extremely important cause you know your mother and I would never ask this of you. But Sena, it's for Perdia. Your marriage will be the beginning of peace." Sena could not hear him through her sobs.

"Why Papa? Momma? I don't want to get married!" Lodonna moved Sena onto her lap and cuddled her sobbing child, gently rocking her, but letting her cry. Eldon looked into his wife's agonized face and it was all he could do not to weep himself. They let Sena cry herself into exhaustion, and she fell asleep there in her mother's arms.

"She took that worse than I thought she would." Eldon whispered to his wife.

"Really? She took it better than I thought she would. I thought she would get up and run away, maybe break a few vases, throw a few paintings." Ladonna looked down at her sleeping child, Sena's eyes red and puffy even in sleep. "Eldon, how can we possibly? She's so small, she's so young. She's not like Melba or Wren, she's so innocently unaware of the world."

"If Wren were old enough, and capable I would be tempted to choose her. She is so sensible, so quick and bright. But even then I think they'd want it to be Sena."

"Why? Why Sena?"

"Because, Cyril says." Ladonna grew quite before responding.

"So this is about magic then?" she asked. Eldon stared into the dimming fire.

"It must be."

"But Eldon," his wife stated, "there is no magic in Lynoth."

"I know."

* * *

Sena awoke with a headache. She was in her own bed and couldn't think of when she had gone to sleep the night before when she remembered. She wanted to cry, but she felt too drained. _Will they really make me get married?_ A fire was lit, but no maid came to bustle her out of bed and into her clothes, or to tell her she had overslept. It was almost an hour she lay there thinking before she jumped out of bed and not bothering to dress ran to Wren's room.

"Wren!" she cried agonized as she plowed through the door. Wren sat quietly by the window, and she turned her soft, sad eyes to Sena. "Wren, you knew, didn't you?" Her sister looked at her sadly before responding,

"I guessed, back when Varden Greystone came to see you. I guessed, but I didn't know until this morning, when mother told me."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because, I wanted to be wrong. I wanted to be wrong so badly. I wouldn't really admit it to myself. I thought if I just pretended it wasn't there it would go away." Tears slid down Wren's cheeks.

"Oh, Wren!" Sena sprinted over to her sister embracing her tightly. "Wren, please don't cry, it will make you sick. Wren, please! It will be all right. Shhh, it's okay Wren." Sena was hardly aware of what she was saying as her concern for her frail sister took over. When she finally got Wren quieted and had assured herself that Wren had not got herself too worked up she went and sat on the window seat and looked into the gardens below. Her whole life seemed to be outside that window, all that she loved, all that she had worked for. Perdia's magic thrummed deeply in her.

"Wren, what am I going to do? I can't get married. I can't live in Lynoth, there's no magic there. I'll die without magic."

"Maybe your husband could come live here?" suggested Wren half-heartedly. Sena snorted.

"You read too much to even slightly believe that. Especially since I'm to marry Varden's oldest child, his heir."

"You're taking this rather well, Sena." Sena laughed.

"You wouldn't say that if you were there last night. I'm just too tired to cry or scream or do anything right now. Mostly I just want to die."

"Sena! What a thing to say." They looked out the window for several minutes, seeing the golden leaves swirl around with the wind. "When do you go?" Wren finally asked.

"I don't know. I don't really know anything except I'm supposed to get married." Sena suddenly jumped up. "Wren, I've got to go. This isn't right. I'm not going to get married. Especially to someone from Lynoth. Melba got to choose who she married, why don't I? I'm going to go talk to father." With that she stormed out of the room before Wren had a chance to respond.

Sena sprinted all the way to her fathers study where she guessed he'd be. She didn't bother knocking but burst in like a tumultuous wind.

"Sena!" her father stood quickly as she entered. "Sena, I'm glad,"

"I'm not going to get married!" Sena shouted, loud and clear.

"Sena, dear, please calm down,"

"No," Sena stomped her foot, "No, no, no noooo!" She screamed. Her mother came rushing in the room a moment later to find it in a state of chaos as Eldon attempted to restrain his daughter from demolishing everything in sight.

"This is what I thought she'd do last night." she shouted above Sena's screams.

"Sena, please!" her father pleaded, "Can't we discuss this like adults?"

"I'm not an adult, I'm just a child, I'm too young to get married!" Sena shouted, but she stopped her flailing. Her parents both took one of her hands and led her to an adjoining sitting room, where tea was often served.

"Now Sena," said her father once they were all seated on a long couch. "I know this has all been a little much. You're mother and I are concerned about you and want to hear what you think," he put hand up to stall her attempt to butt in, "but could you do it like a lady, please. No shouting. Let's discuss this." Sena sat quietly for a moment.

"It doesn't seem like you've left much to discuss. Last night you told me I _have_ to marry. Do I not even get to decide? You let Melba choose!"

"Sena, the truth is, we don't have much choice. The king is demanding it of us. He feels it's in the best interest of the country."

"How do you feel, Papa?" Sena asked. Eldon looked at his daughter and answered truthfully.

"I think it's in the best interest of the country as well. Sena, if I didn't feel strongly about this I never would ask it of you."

"But you're not asking!"

"Well, neither is the king."

"Why doesn't he pick someone else, someone older?"

"The king feels strongly that it needs to be you."

"Why?"

"I don't know. He and some of his other councilors feel that you are the one." Sena looked miserable.

"When am I supposed to get married?"

"The beginning of next fall, when the treaty is signed."

"Where?"

"In Lynoth." Sena started as if hit.

"I don't even get to be married in my home?"

"I'm sorry, they've decided it's all to take place in Lynoth." Sena looked to her mother.

"What do you think?" she asked her.

"I don't want you to go, but I think you must."

"So you both want me to give up Perdia? To give up magic?" Ladonna looked away in pain. Eldon took Sena's hand.

"Sena, we're not asking you to give up Perdia, we're asking you to help Perdia. Think, your marriage will mean no more fighting. No more people dying. Peace, Sena. Finally."

"It means more than that." Ladonna whispered. "It means the magic won't be used to hurt people, it means the magic can start growing stronger again. War is hard on magic." Sena looked into her mother's eyes.

"How do you know that?" she asked curiously.

"Because I once had magic too Sena."

"Once? What happened?"

"I had you, and it was as if all the magic from miles around went straight into you."

"But, but, how could it do that? That's not fair!"

"The magic chooses us, Sena, not the other way around." Sena sat quietly for several minutes in thought.

"So, you want me to get married, to save magic?"

"Yes," said Ladonna.

* * *

Thanks to my two reviewers, I appreciate the comments. I look forward to more comments in the future (hint, hint). I hope to update again soon but in reality it probably won't be a for a few weeks. Please review! 


End file.
